Friday, December 10, 2010

7 Quick Takes

END OF TERM ONE!!!

1) I have survived my first term as a University student. I took academic 18 credits, as well as at least 20 credits in life. Classes this term included: How to Make New Friends 218, Introduction to LTD 100, Parking at U of O 450, What the Heck is a Roommate 180 and Growing Up and Becoming You 244.


2) Tuesday was the day of two finals. The one in the morning was Poli Sci, and it was ok. I had put a lot of time into studying, but, as it happens somtimes, what I knew the best was not on the test. Afterwards, we got our term papers back and I was dissapointed. All in all, I was bummed. I went out to Newman for lunch, and when I was leaving for my next final, it was pouring. At this point, I realized I had a choice. I could choose my mood and my day. I decided to redifine the problem. Instead of the issue being that it was raining, the issue was that I was wearing shoes. I arrived at McKenzie with muddy wet feet and a much better attitute, and then preceeded to dominate my 3PM final.


3) Can I just say, I go to the coolest school. Our mascot was in the top 4 in the country, our football team is going to the national championship with an undefeated season, and our acapella group is showing the world how a singing frat does Lady Gaga. The best part? I've seen all of this live. Puddles is a frequent atendee at all kinds of campus events, the Ducks are even better in person at Autzen, and OTR gives concerts every Friday where my friends and I sit right up front.


4) There's nooooooooo place like hOOOOOme for the hahlidays!!!


5) My friend Kaya is leaving for Spain next week. I am going to miss her a whole lot. She has brought so much sunshine into my life, and has made me feel at home, at the Honor's College and at the Newman Center. Kaya is like having a big sister, and I love her.


6) On the plane leaving Portland, I got to sit next to the Newberg FFA advisor, Mr. B. I realized, that like Mr. Linegar, who never lets us go anywhere without this object, as it must contain the very fiber that holds us together, he had a briefcase.
7) Cookie day was Saturday, and this year it was just me and Grammie. For some reason, it felt so fragile, just the two of us baking all those cookies. After the turmoil of the past two years, I was uniquely thankful to get to have this opportunity to be just the two of us, with a holiday tradtion that goes back as long as I remember.
P.S. Sorry this is late, I have been spoiled at school with wi-fi everywhere, and now I must go to the coffee shop to get it.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

remember the birds

So, today I got a little reminder in Providence. I agreed to work a shift at The Dining Room from1-3, doing food prep work. Going, I was nervous, because I thought I was running late, and it was my first time, and I was thinking I shouldn't even have said I would do it because I had a final that I could be studying for. I was antsy.

However, right about 2:00, I was finishing the desserts and a little reminder occurred. I had had to grab extra plates earlier, so I had a few left, and I was down to filling in the last of the tray, and had part of a cake left. So, in the very last tray, the end of the plates, and the last cake, and you know what? It all lined up. There were enough plates to fill the tray, and enough pieces of cake to put on the plates and it was the very last tray in the dessert rack. It was a little thing, but it reminded me of God. If He takes care of the little things, like cake and birds, He will take care of me too. And you know what? We got done early, about 40 minutes early. And I got more time to study. He took care of me too. God is so good.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

7 Quick Takes


Week 10, Term 1, Year 1
1) Dead week kills. I had major projects Tueday through Friday this week. A Poli Sci paper, Accounting Ratio Project, 3PM paper, and my part of the final project for our CHIP.

2) Parts of me: Psalms 139:13- In doing my final project for my CHIP, I researched everyone's names. The version of mine I found online listed Aimee as "beloved friend" I've also seen it as "beloved" or "to love". This is perfect for me. Another little thing that is a perfect part of how God knit me together is my blood type. I am O-, the universal donor. Both of these are just little things that remind me that God knew all of me before I ever even knew myself.

3) Concert- Friday night I went to see the music department's choral concert. It was incredible. We have such talented students at the U of O. My favorite song was the first one, where the choral groups surrounded the audience, on the stage, and in the balcony and in aisles, singing in parts Gustav Holst's Christmas Day. I had heard my friend sining part of it earlier this week, but it was so incredible the way it was preformed.

4) Coincidence/Providence- Saturday night I went to Divisi and On the Rocks' annual holiday concert with some people from my hall. Interstingly enough, while going to talk to another friend, I ran into my friend Jazzi, from DDA. She lives in Bend, and I had not seen her in almost a year. It turns out her sister is in Divisi, so she came up with her family. Still, I never would have expected this, and could have easily missed her in all the people. It was so cool.

5) I LOVE MY DUCKS!!!- and they are going to the BCS championship!! What a great time to be a duckling.

6) Lector- Tomorrow, Sunday, I get to be an actual, official Lector at Mass for the first time. I am so excited, and also a little bit nervous. I have been waiting for this time to come for about four years now. God, please let them be Your words, the way You want people to hear it, not mine.

7) Friends- I continue to wrestle with one group of friends. I feel like I'm on the fringes, like I'm missing something and don't know what. It is incredibly frustrating, because it wasn't what I expected would happen and I don't know what to say or do. On the positive side, I am making friends in other areas. My good friend Maggie W. and I baked a cake and cookies, while watching a Muppet Christmas Carol and singing and dancing around her living room. I am learning and growing. I am also learning from my own experience, and realizing that if I turn to God for everything, He is *always* enough for me. Everything might not work out, but I will be ok, because I have Him.